


Corruption

by Strawberry_King



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Adopted Siblings, Angst, Edit: looking more like maybe chapter 4 instead, Found Family, Gen, Relationships are only mentioned - Freeform, Sibling Fluff, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR 8.3, and they will come soon after chapter 2 or 3 whichever has the end of 8.2.5 in it i still dont know, i love him so so much im so very gay but this takes place in bfa so he outtie 5000, i need to get that warning out now, illidan is also only mentioned im sorry, there will be tears, this is full of void corruption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22285795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberry_King/pseuds/Strawberry_King
Summary: Lexax Nightsong is a woman who knows war as well as the back of her hand. Being nearly twelve thousand years old, she's been in more than her fair share of them. But when the war is inside her mind, and can't be fought simply with weapons, she doesn't know precisely how to fight. As she avoids telling her loved ones just how hard N'Zoth's corruption is hitting her, things only get worse for her. The Old God will stop at nothing to break her, even as she fights back with all her strength. How far will she fall under N'Zoth's sway?How long will it take for her mind to break?
Relationships: Anduin Wrynn & Original Female Character(s), Azshara (Warcraft) & Original Female Character(s), Illidan Stormrage/Original Female Character(s), Jaina Proudmoore & Original Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first big fic!! I've done ficlets and drabbles before, no problem, but never anything with multiple chapters. ^_^ this is going to me fun! I hope you like reading it as much as i like writing it!

A lone elf woman gazed in contempt through the iron bars in her window and out into the city below. Her horns, which curled back like that of a ram’s, clicked against the stone wall as she leaned her head against it. All those little, pointless people. Doing little, pointless things and leading little, pointless lives, completely ignorant of how close their impending doom truly was. It would be glorious, and she, at the center of it all, would herald his arrival. Her master. The corruptor.

_ N’Zoth _ .

~~

Lexax Nightsong was by no means a weak woman. Just one glance at her particularly long and colorful history would more than prove that. Somehow, however, the voice of the dagger Xal’atath seemed to worm its way into her head like nothing she’d ever encountered before. She was much more suited to leading than following (regardless of how vehemently she denied it), and when she  _ did  _ follow, she would only do things her way. Yet she found herself following every order the blade gave her to a T. It was completely unlike her.

“…I have brought to you The Opener…” As the words left Xal’atath’s newfound mouth, Lexax’s head snapped towards her. “The Bringer of Truths…” What in the hell was she doing?! “The Torch that will light the way!” As soon as the sentence had been completed, Lexax was snatched up from the ground and held in midair as if she were no more than a rag doll. The dagger that had contained Xal’atath before she’d found a new body fell from the elf’s hand as she was lifted. “Honor our bargain. Free me to find my own fate!” 

“Go… but the blade must remain… to serve my will.” N’Zoth’s voice reverberated throughout the small space, rattling Lexax’s very bones.

“A fair exchange,” Xal’atath replied.

“ _ YOU SOLD ME OUT?! _ ” Lexax hadn’t even realized she’d found her voice until the words had leapt from her throat. She was beyond furious. Not only had Xal’atath delivered her directly to N’Zoth, but she’d tricked her into helping! On top of that, she had the gall, the  _ AUDACITY  _ to be attractive while she did it! Xal’atath smiled at her.

“Shadows guide you, my dear friend. We will meet again, I am sure of it.”

“YOU BETTER HOPE WE DON’T! IF I EVER SEE YOU AGAIN, I SWEAR ON EVERYTHING HOLY _ I WILL FUCKING TEAR YOU APART _ !!!” Lexax found herself screaming at open air. In her rage, she hadn’t even noticed Xal’atath was already gone. Her focus turned to N’Zoth. 

Almost immediately, her fury melted into ice cold fear that seemed to freeze the blood running through her veins. Her legs churned the air beneath her, but of course, there was no escape to be found. Lexax was completely helpless, and she knew it. 

“I have dreamed your destiny, mortal.” The enormous eye before her opened, just the pupil of which completely dwarfing the relatively large woman. Its stare bored into her soul, the deep orange glow it cast over her drowning out even the bright green light her tattoos emitted. A cold sweat broke out over her body. “The hour is close at hand. That which was sunken Shall rise. All that were sleeping… shall be awakened.” Fear turned to panic as a portal opened and wriggling tentacles emerged from within it. “Receive my gift and see all truths before you!” Lexax struggled frantically as a tendril, larger than the others, appeared from the portal and approached her. No amount of writhing could loosen the force that bound her and allow her to escape. She couldn’t even scream when the tendril stabbed itself into her forehead and everything went black.

Lexax opened her eyes, or lack thereof, to find herself outside. Night had fallen, even though she was pretty sure it was dawn the last time she checked. Her head throbbed, sending vicious shocks of agony through her body. Her mind swam and her vision blurred. How long had she been out? What was she even doing all the way in Stormsong, anyway? 

Groaning in pain, she gingerly touched her forehead. Her eyebrows knit together and she touched it again. Something was very, very wrong here. There was some kind of… foreign mass attached to her forehead. Despite how much it made her head pound, Lexax sat up and dug through her bag to find the small hand mirror she kept in there. 

It was…  _ horrifying _ . A band of dark purple flesh encircled her head like a twisted crown. Spikes grew from it in some places, eyes in others. The largest of them stared into the mirror, meeting Lexax’s own terrified, missing eyes. Finally, the memories of what had transpired came back to her. Xal’atath’s betrayal, N’Zoth stabbing her forehead… He mentioned something about a ‘gift’ -- this had to be it. There was no other explanation. Lexax snapped the mirror shut and stuffed it back into her bag, slowly and shakily getting to her feet. She had to find Brother Pike. He would know how to get rid of this so-called gift. Or, at least, he would know what it was. 

The flight back to Boralus was rough on her, despite the gryphon being one of the smoothest fliers she’d ever ridden. Every movement hurt, as if her entire body was one big bruise. Her head hurt worst of all. It made her want to sleep for a week, but truthfully, Lexax was grateful for the pain. It made it easy to ignore the constant whispering that now invaded her mind.

Lexax half walked, half stumbled to the docks. It was all she could do to stay on her feet. As usual, the harbor was full of all manner of people from a wide variety of races. The cacophonous chatter of the crowd grated her ears.  _ 'Stars above, this is worse than if a hangover had a hangover _ …' She thought. Thankfully, even hunched over she was tall enough to easily spot her friend Flynn Fairwind through it all. As hard as it has been to just get down to the docks, it was even worse to get through the people. She all but collapsed onto Flynn's table, the stability of it was a welcome change from relying solely on her incredibly weak legs. 

"Lexax! Perfect timi- GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY WHAT IS ON YOUR HEAD-" Lexax slapped her hand over his mouth. 

"No… No yelling." Just those three words took more strength than she could afford to muster, but she didn't care. Her hand dropped to the table with a near lifeless thud. "Where's… Pike?" 

"Er- Last I saw, he was with Cyrus. Are… Are you okay?" As concerned as Flynn looked, Lexax didn't answer his question. It was obvious enough that she wasn't. She turned away, stumbling towards the Harbormaster's Office. 

She couldn't take more than a few steps into the office before crashing to her knees. Both Cyrus and Brother Pike tried to help her to her feet, but she shook her head. This was getting more concerning. Lexax had never felt more weak, and she'd had  _ deaths _ less painful than the ache in her head. Perhaps N'Zoth knew of her plan, and was punishing her for going against his will.

"Pike- N'Zoth… 'gift'... Need gone-" She could hardly get the words out. "Can… you… help?" 

"Something dark is growing within you, Lexax.

I can sense... the tendrils of N'zoth burrowing deeper into your mind and soul."

"No… really? Never woulda… guessed." She had neither the need nor the strength to give sarcastic comebacks, but she gave them anyway. It was hard not to, even with her condition. 

"I warn you, this will be very painful."

"Just… do it already," She hissed through gritted teeth.

"I cannot. Not here. Meet me near the Crucible of Storms. I must go prepare for the ritual. … I suggest you do the same." As Brother Pike left, Lexax inwardly groaned. She was just there! 

"Can you make it by yourself, Lexax? I can send someone with you if need be." Lexax looked up at Cyrus. 

" 'M fine." Of course, she was very much not fine. Not in the slightest. But having someone else go with her would only slow her down. She needed to leave NOW. 

Just to show how definitely fine she absolutely was, Lexax forced herself to her feet and up the stairs, despite the ramp being just outside and a far easier option. The ride up to Stormsong was even worse than the ride down. This gryphon wasn't nearly as smooth a flier as the first one. Lexax closed her lack of eyes and hoped the ride would end soon. She would've killed to have a drake or a dragon to ride instead. If Avalyra was there… No, now isn't the time to think about her. Getting emotional right now would only make things worse.

By the time the gryphon had landed, Lexax was about ready to just fall off the saddle. Her legs were almost done for at that point. Brother Pike helped her walk to the brazier, where he would perform the ritual. ' _ It would've been pretty, had it been put anywhere else _ ,' Lexax thought. The brazier consisted of a large bowl holding the fuel for the fire, with tentacles, not unlike that of an octopus, reaching up and swirling around the fire, almost as if they were grasping the flames. 

"... Do it… Please." 

"This process is going to be… unpleasant. Stand as still as you can while I remove it." Lexax nodded. Whatever pain there would be, she was sure she'd been through worse. Hell, she'd gouged out her own eyes! What could be worse than that? 

The ritual, evidently. The scream that ripped itself from Lexax was one that made it clear her throat would be raw for a long while afterward. It was primal, it was guttural, and it was full of pain. Brother Pike didn't flinch. He'd had a feeling this was going to happen. After what felt like a century, the ritual was over. The throbbing pain in her skull was gone. Lexax collapsed, panting. She was surprised she hadn't passed out. The pain slowly ebbed away enough for her to sit up.

"I am pleased that the cleansing ritual didn't prove fatal. You are either very resilient… or very lucky."

"Probably a bit of both… Can't live to twelve thousand without being either one…" As the pain continued to ebb away, Lexax found it easier to speak. But also as the pain left, weariness and exhaustion took its place. 

"So I suppose you feel better?" Brother Pike's voice had an almost playful tone to it.

"Yeah, thanks. I don't know what I would've done without your help." She slowly stood. Standing didn't take as much work as before, but it still took quite a bit, considering how much her body was telling her to just curl up on the stone and sleep there. 

They parted ways then. Lexax used her hearthstone to travel to her room in Stormwind, immediately climbing into bed without even bothering to take off her shoes. Shoes were future Lexax's problem. Current Lexax needed to sleep. She would tell Anduin and Jaina what had happened in the morning. Or… whenever she woke up.


	2. Chapter 2

“Pregnant?!” Lexax had only gone to a doctor to find out how well she was recovering several weeks after being exorcised of N’Zoth’s ‘gift’, and really it was just to get Anduin off her back. Sure, she was tired more often than normal lately, and was getting sick more often, but that couldn’t have been more than just stress right? Who _wouldn’t_ be stressed out in her situation? Her ears had to be tricking her.

“Yes. I assume this is a surprise, then?” Well, there goes hope.

“A surprise?! I think this counts as a bit more than a _surprise_!” Lexax snapped.

“Ms. Nightsong, please calm down. I don’t understand why you’re getting so worked up. Most women would be thrilled to-”

“One, it’s _Mrs_ __._ . _ Whether or not my husband is here doesn’t determine us being married _._ Two, I don’t know if you could tell just by the, oh, I don’t know, LITERALLY EVERY GODDAMNED THING ABOUT ME, but I’m not exactly your average woman.” Typically, she wouldn’t get angry so quickly, but the last thing she needed was some _man_ telling her how _she_ should feel. “I _can’t_ be pregnant right now- I can’t! I’m the Champion of the Alliance! They need me out there!”

“Look. Whether you like it or not, you’re pregnant. I can’t change that fact. However, I can write up some-” 

Lexax didn’t bother waiting to hear anything else he had to say. She stormed out, taking off as soon as she was outside. Her wings beat the air so hard, it made a whirlwind of her hair. It wasn’t until her erratic breathing made her cough that she even realized she was crying. Lexax didn’t even know _why_ she was crying! The realization made her laugh, which only made her cry more, and vice versa, so on and so forth until she was a hysterical mess in the middle of the sky. Slowing her wings, she descended just enough to land on a roof, if only so that she wouldn’t crash. 

The woman gulped down breath after breath, trying her best to calm herself down. Now wasn’t the time to get hysterical; she needed to make a plan. Obviously, she couldn’t tell anyone she was pregnant. At least, not yet. Only once the war was over, or she could physically no longer fight. She couldn’t be _that_ far along, she barely even showed. Besides, it was pretty easy to track back to when the kid came from. The last time she was with her husband was… What, around three, four months ago? Yeah, hiding the kid would be no problem for the time being. 

Lexax decided she had calmed down enough and took off once more, this time with an actual place in mind, rather than just ‘up’. She landed on the edge of her bedroom window, light as a cat, and slipped inside. A looser shirt was in order, not to mention she needed to switch out her armor for something that covered her entire midriff. It was noticeably unusual for her, but hopefully nobody would pay it too much attention. 

Everything was going to be fine. She just had to go as long as possible without anyone finding out. _Especially_ Anduin. The two were as close as siblings, and with as reckless as she could be, he already worried about her constantly, as if he didn’t already have enough to worry about. She didn’t want to add another concern to his plate. … Not to mention, he _did_ technically have the power to give orders she would _have_ to follow if she didn’t want to get locked up. Not that he’d actually do that, of course.

Lexax stepped out of her room, glancing up and down the hall of the keep. She took a deep breath, and set off to find Anduin. It was still so easy for her to get lost in here, but thankfully the ability to (mostly) see through walls made quick work of locating the young king. Navigating the halls well enough, however… 

It took Lexax much longer than she’d like to admit to find her way into the same room as Anduin. She grinned as she approached him and ruffled his hair.

“Hey, kiddo.”

“Wh- Really, Lexax? I just put it up!” Anduin exclaimed, exasperated.

“Why do you think I did it?” Lexax raised an eyebrow, which made Anduin grin in spite of himself. 

“Honestly. Sometimes I wonder which one of us is younger,” he said with a good-natured shake of his head. “So, how did the appointment go? Anything wrong?”

_Yes, absolutely._

“Nah, it’s just stress,” Lexax said nonchalantly, hoping she was actually as good a liar as she thought. “You don’t gotta worry ‘bout me, okay? I’ve got this.”

“Still, don’t push yourself too hard, alright?” 

“I should be telling _you_ that.” Despite the fact that she was lying to his face, Lexax felt at ease around Anduin. He was truly her closest friend. No, more than that- He was her brother. For a few months after they’d met, Lexax had believed they weren’t really as close as they were, only that they were both grieving over lost loved ones and needed someone to latch onto. By now, she knew better. Blood or not, they were siblings through and through. “I love you, little brother.”

Anduin’s brow furrowed and he looked at her with a mix of concern and suspicion. 

“Please tell me you aren’t about to run off to who-knows-where and get yourself killed _yet again_ -”

“No, no, don’t worry. I’m just feelin’ a little emotional and I want you to know how much you mean to me.”

“Oh.” Anduin visibly relaxed and relief showed on his face. “Well in that case, I love you too.” Lexax pulled him into a quick hug.

“Welp, I’m gonna head out,” the elf said, stretching. “You said I could get back to work once I recovered, and now I’m recovered. Shouldn’t be gone _too_ long this time, though.” 

“Stay safe, Lexax,” Anduin replied.

“Hmmm, no promises.” Lexax winked and ruffled the king’s hair one more time. “See you soon, kiddo.” 

“See you soon,” he echoed.

There was no real need to pack anything, not when she already had several sets of clothes and more than one empty journal on the ship in Boralus’ harbor. And if worse came to worse, she could just use her hearthstone if she needed anything she’d left behind. Call her unprepared, but it was easier to make a trip back than to carry around a whole bunch of things she didn’t end up needing. 

Lexax couldn’t take more than a few steps into the Tradewinds Market without being tackled by a _very_ excited cat shaped blur of muscle and bone. The felsaber bonked her skinless head against Lexax’s and let out an approximation of a purr. Lexax couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Well hello to you too, Darling.” She wiggled her arm out from under the great cat and ran her hand down her side. She’d missed the velvet soft feeling of the fuzz that covered every part of the creature that wasn’t bone. “Did you miss me?” 

It wasn’t her choice to leave Darling in Boralus. Everything happened so fast, and she’d been too weak to focus on anything but staying awake when she had gone back to Stormwind after the whole ‘gift’ ordeal. It didn’t help that she was confined to the city until she had recovered. Thankfully, Flynn had offered to watch the cat until Lexax returned.

“You are WAY too fast for your own good, Darling!”

Well, speak of the devil. Flynn leaned on a wall, hunched over and severely winded. Evidently, he’d been chasing the cat for a while before Lexax arrived. Darling stood up, padding over to him and nudging his hand with her head. When he turned his head to look at her, she gave him a look that make Lexax swallow another laugh. “Alright, fine, I forgive you just this once- I still don’t know how you manage to be cute.”

“The baby eyes get me, too,” Lexax said, finally announcing her presence. She propped herself up on her elbows so she wouldn’t have to crane her neck to look at him. Well, technically, she could look at him even with her lack-of-eyes closed, but it was easier to focus if she looked at things as if she still had eyes.

“Lexax!” Flynn’s face split in a wide grin. “They finally let you loose, eh?”

“Yeah. Had to see a doctor before I left, but I’m free as a bird now!” Lexax got to her feet so she could grab Flynn’s hand and ‘bro-hug’ him. “Good to see you, man.”

“Good to see you, too. Listen, your timing couldn’t be more perfect-”

“You say that a lot; is this a perfect timing to get you out of some kind of trouble, or an actually important perfect timing?” She said, flashing him a half smirk.

“Ha-ha, very funny. I really do mean it this time, Greymane actually just sent King Wrynn a letter asking for you. Apparently he’s got something big this time.” The look in his eyes showed that for most likely the first time in his life, he was being serious.

“Alright! I’ve been needing something to get my blood pumping!” 

“Come on then, he’s downstairs. Bet he’ll be glad to see you ready for a fight.” 

“Genn!” Lexax nearly vaulted over the railing of the stairs, instead settling for bolting down as fast as she could. The man looked up from a map on the table in surprise.

“That was faster than I expected.” 

“Actually, my timing’s pure coincidence. Flynn said you needed me? Where’s the fight?” 

“... Right- Spymaster Shaw has informed me that the remainder of the Horde’s fleet is making preparations to leave Zuldazar. We’ll vastly outnumber them in open water and we can end this war once and for all.” Genn explained. 

Lexax grinned. This was perfect! With the war over, she wouldn’t have to hide her pregnancy, and on top of that, she could actually take a break and RELAX for the first time in, what, fifteen years? She didn’t count the seven or so years she’d spent in ‘freaky blood crystal prison’ as taking a break, as it was impossible to relax when she was completely immobile, completely CONSCIOUS, and had just returned from a mission to find Illidan, the only person she’d actually been able to let herself love at the time, dead. The entire time she was imprisoned, the tears had stayed on her face, unable to fall or even be wiped away until she was freed. 

“Well, what are we waiting for?” The elf eagerly asked. “Let’s do this!”

The mission was a devastating failure. Just as the Alliance fleet was catching up to the Horde, before the final blow could be fired, the sea itself opened up and swallowed every ship it could pull into its gaping maw. There were screams all around, Lexax could feel herself screaming, too. _Why wouldn’t her wings work?_ She was falling, falling, falling…

It all went black. 


End file.
